235th Episode
Saria glanced around and proudly pushed Ray forward as if showing him off.
The people gathered in the hall were at a loss to understand Saria’s sudden action, dumbfounded by her behavior.
Expecting some reaction but instead feeling the atmosphere grow cold, Saria hesitated for a moment before saying one word.
“Clap.”
“…”
Everyone exchanged glances and reluctantly started clapping, not quite understanding what was going on.
Clap clap clap clap clap-! A loud applause filled the central hall.
Caught helplessly by Saria, Ray wanted nothing more than to die—or at least faint.
The clapping continued for a long while.
As Saria listened to the applause with a satisfied expression, she turned to look at Nelson.
Saria then lifted up Ray, who was slightly taller than herself, and thrust him toward Nelson.
“He’s my nephew.”
“…Pardon?”
When Nelson asked in disbelief, Saria clearly repeated herself.
“My nephew.”
“…I see.”
“Our nephew is cute.”
“…”
To Nelson’s silence, Saria emphasized again.
“Our nephew is cute.”
“Yes… truly… you have a very cute nephew… congratulations… he’s really adorable…”
Nelson’s reluctant response seemed to please Saria, who nodded contentedly and began shaking Ray up and down.
Unable to endure the shame any longer, Ray covered his face with both hands.
The applause still hadn’t stopped.
*
Saria’s actions in the central hall weren’t without thought.
She had heard that Ray was concealing his true identity upon entering, so originally, she planned to tone down her “nephew pride.”
However, after briefly experiencing something called Izhise, Ray contacted Ernst, deciding it was time to reveal part of his identity.
Though bewildered, Ernst accepted Ray’s request, and this information eventually reached Saria.
If Ray revealed himself as the pre-engaged fiancé of Speira chosen by Ernst, Saria figured there was no need for her to hold back on boasting about her “nephew.” At least, that was how she saw it.
Thus, the disaster that unfolded was entirely Ray’s fault. If only he hadn’t complained to Ernst about the physical training, he wouldn’t have ended up being paraded around in front of everyone.
Ray lamented his past decisions while slouching in despair.
Surrounded by self-loathing, Ray could only wish for this embarrassing moment to pass quickly. Just as the applause began to die down, Saria turned Ray back toward her, gripping him tightly.
A wave of indescribable unease washed over Ray.
Turn him back? What was she planning to do now?
Based on Ray’s experience so far, there weren’t many things Saria did when she turned him around like this.
Still slouched over, Ray looked at Saria with wide, nervous eyes.
“Go, Godmother…?”
Ray weakly shook his head while fumbling with the arms Saria had hooked under his armpits.
But Saria paid no heed and pulled Ray into her embrace.
A cry of desperation, almost a scream, escaped Ray’s lips.
“Godmother, wait, just a moment…! Godmother…!! Godmotheroo!!!”
Despite Ray’s flailing limbs and attempts to resist, he was quickly subdued.
Once Ray was firmly under control, Saria began flaunting her affection for her “nephew” in full view of everyone.
Smacksmacksmacksmack—kisses rained down on Ray, causing him to thrash wildly in protest.
“…!!”
Everyone watched in shock as Ray eventually went half-unconscious, his face buried in his hands.
After delivering an adequate amount of kisses, which she’d been holding back until now, Saria descended from the podium, looking satisfied.
With all eyes still on her, Saria returned Ray to his original spot before stepping back onto the podium, appearing pleased with herself.
“…”
All those present in the central hall glanced nervously at Ray.
Ray stood there blankly, his spirit broken, as if he’d lost his mind.
While those unfamiliar with the situation now understood that Ray was Saria’s cherished nephew, they couldn’t help but feel anything but envy.
Meanwhile, Saria completed her introduction from the podium.
Once finished, the students applauded once more.
As Saria stepped back behind the podium and waved at Ray, he listlessly returned the gesture with an empty gaze.
Nelson, despite the confusion of the events, continued with his duties, knowing there were still introductions to be made.
“The next are the advisors who will serve as counselors starting this semester.”
At Izhise, counselors and instructors were distinguished based on their affiliation.
Instructors were temporarily assigned to Izhise, whereas advisors acted as external personnel within the institution.
High-ranking individuals, including active members and senior officials of the church, often took on counselor roles.
As murmurs among the students settled, Nelson introduced each advisor one by one.
Time passed, and finally, Nelson introduced the last counselor.
“…From the esteemed ranks of the church, High Templar Anthonyus, please step forward.”
High Templar.
Among the recognized Templars of the church, only the most exceptional were honored with the title of High Templar.
Although Paladins or Templars, known as Clerics, varied greatly in their use and application of divine power, it was difficult to define exactly what qualified someone as a High Templar.
However, Templars who had sufficiently honed themselves could weave divine energy into a lattice structure, enveloping their weapons completely. Those capable of this were typically classified as High Templars.
Weapons encased in this lattice structure lacked sharpness but were durable enough to withstand sword energies.
Thus, the weapons wielded by High Templars, regardless of type, functioned more like powerful blunt instruments.
“…?”
It was natural for an outstanding Templar to serve as a counselor at Izhise.
Yet, Ray felt a strange… unsettling disturbance.
An inexplicable sense of déjà vu, or perhaps anxiety, quickened Ray’s heartbeat.
Ray gazed at Anthonyus, the High Templar ascending the podium.
The other students also looked at Anthonyus, whispering in surprise.
Anthonyus was renowned even among High Templars, enough to unsettle even the students of Izhise.
At this point, he was considered “the one closest to the rank of Paladin.”
When someone muttered these words, Ray suddenly remembered something buried deep in his memory.
‘So… it’s you…’
Ray stared at Anthonyus, whose cold-blooded demeanor caused Ray’s gaze to darken.
‘The one I… failed to save.’
*
The introductions of the newly appointed instructors and counselors concluded.
With a brief free period granted to the students, Ray sought out a bench outside and sat quietly, gazing at the sky.
“…”
The sound of kisses echoed in his ears like tinnitus, causing Ray to squirm uncomfortably.
After tossing and turning for a while, Ray sighed deeply, deciding to forget about Saria for now.
‘Anthonyus…’
Much of the world’s history, as Ray knew it, had changed due to his presence.
Even the few bits of future knowledge Ray retained were now mostly obsolete.
In the future Ray remembered, Anthonyus met an insignificant end without leaving any meaningful mark. His death held no impact or value.
Ray had no way of knowing how Anthonyus’ story would conclude in this timeline.
One thing, however, was certain.
He would never be saved.
“…”
As Ray sat pondering, a group of second-year students passed by, noticing him and exchanging whispers.
“Why is he still alive?”
“If it were me, I’d have jumped off the roof already.”
“To keep walking around with that shame? He’s ruthless, ruthless.”
“…”
Ray felt incredibly disheartened.
Had Saria just given him a heads-up, they could’ve met privately, sparing him the public embarrassment. Unfortunately, their first encounter happened in the central hall, leaving Ray no escape.
While Ray twisted in discomfort, Aaron approached.
“Hey… Ray.”
Aaron looked genuinely curious.
Since Ray’s dignity was already shattered in front of everyone, he decided to share with Aaron the information he had planned to disclose later.
After hearing Ray’s explanation, Aaron wore a sheepish expression.
According to Ray, he was a promising candidate selected by Ernst to become the fiancé of his great-granddaughter Speira, making him not only Saria’s nephew but also connected to the Alstein Dukedom.
Though technically a commoner, Ray’s background practically made him a golden spoon.
“So that’s where your confidence came from when you were running wild at Izhise like a mad calf…”
“What did you say?”
“Uh, oh, nothing, nothing.”
Aaron quickly waved his hand, realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud.
Before Ray could press further, Aaron hastily changed the subject.
“Anyway, where’s your hometown? Same as Sir Saria Alstein…?”
“Hometown? How should I know? Why do you care?”
Ray responded rather aggressively.
There was no benefit in rumors spreading about him cherishing his hometown.
Ray intended to play the role of a country bumpkin who was embarrassed by and wanted to forget his rural origins, at least while within Izhise.
Aaron nodded, interpreting Ray’s words as intended.
“Hmm… but Sir Saria Alstein really does seem to cherish you… hah…!”
Aaron couldn’t suppress his laughter, continuing to shake with mirth.
When Ray glared at him, Aaron slapped his own throat and composed himself.
“Ahem… um… well, shall we go back now?”
“There’s still some rest time left, isn’t there?”
“It might be inconvenient if we’re late. Especially today, we need to be careful.”
“Why?”
“Because tomorrow is our authorized outing day. If we mess up today and get restricted, we’ll have to wait another week.”
“Ah… that’s true.”
At Izhise, students were granted permission to leave campus once a week.
Though they frequently left the premises for training facilities, they were always under strict supervision during transit.
Thus, the relatively unrestricted time they had to explore the Imperial Capital occurred only once a week.
Aaron added excitedly,
“With the decorum maintenance allowance provided, you should be able to purchase necessary items even without additional support. Not that you seem to need it.”
“Yeah, got it. If I’m late and somehow get us all banned from the outing because of ‘joint responsibility,’ there’ll be complaints galore.”
“Hehe, right.”
“Let’s head back together. Though, since there’s no one to hold hands with anyway, I’m not sure if I really need to go out tomorrow.”
“…”
Why not just hold hands with his aunt?
Aaron swallowed the comment that had almost slipped out.
Aaron was smarter than he looked.
Izhise (10)
